White Sacrifice
by My Reality Is My Own
Summary: When Sephiroth doesn't die as expected, there's only one hope that the rest of the world will live: Cloud. And he's surprised at how easily they give him up to save themselves.  dark  SephxCloud
1. Haunted

Summary: When Sephiroth doesn't die as expected, there's only one hope that the rest of the world will live: Cloud. And he's surprised at how easily they give him up to save themselves. dark [SephxCloud]

I'll probably hear all about how 'Cloud's friends would never do that! Mrw!'. I only have one sentence for you then: Too bad. :D

"What were you expecting, Cloud?"

The blond haired man only stared, shock on his face. This...wasn't right. He watched as the once proud General stood up straight, smirking at the younger male. No, this wasn't right at all! Why was Sephiroth alive? They had used Holy, they had fought and fought, and they even had the world fight with them, so why wasn't he dead? Why wasn't the very nemesis of the Lifestream dead yet? Was it not enough? Were they not strong enough? Was the world? Did they wait too long and this was revenge?

"Did you think I'd roll over and die?" Sephiroth chuckled, his eyes darker than ever. "That you were stronger than me?"

"It's not over." Cloud hissed, raising First Tsuguri and preparing to continue the fact, despite how tired he was. "I won't stop until I make you pay for what you did to my home."

"Revenge, Cloud?" The silvered haired man chuckled darkly, grinning. "That doesn't sound very hero-like."

"Then I guess I'm not a hero." was the simple response, causing the other to glance at his foe's companions.

They were all tired, and they were all weary. Well, except for the ex-Turk, but that was expected. The man wasn't human anymore, just like himself. The Wutai girl had fallen from her feet and panting, the pilot trying to get enough strength to use a Cure materia on himself, seeing how his arm was gushing blood. The Gi and the little cat were standing on alert, but both were wounded. The man known as Barret was cursing as he hurriedly fixed his gun-arm, seeing how Sephiroth had put Masamune through it. And Tifa was standing slightly behind Cloud, hiding her exhaustion despite the blood and cuts all along her arms and legs. Cloud was mostly untouched, but then again, Sephiroth had made sure of that.

"I don't think your companions share your enthusiasm, Cloud."

Cloud glared at him, knowing very well that no one could fight with him at this point. "Then I'll fight for them."

It was an odd statement. Cloud didn't really fight for anyone. They knew it was revenge on his part. The rest cared about the planet and the Lifestream, but Cloud was guided by the dark hatred in his soul of watching Sephiroth burning Niebelheim and killing his mother. Then, on top of that, for killing Aeris, his best friend's one love. So, upon hearing this, most of his comrades stared at hearing the personal sentence.

"I thought you weren't a hero, Cloud." Sephiroth then did something very, very odd. He put his sword away. "I have a deal for you."

"We're not interested." Tifa snapped, tensing and keeping her fists up.

The Silver General just gave her a look. "I'm not talking to the vermin. I'm talking to Cloud."

They all tensed then. Cloud especially. He hated that upon hearing the older man's voice, he immediately felt like he was back at the academy and he should be saluting him, listening to him. He felt like a small child, being berated for doing something stupid. But he wasn't. Cloud knew that this was important, and that he would avenge his mother, his people, and Aeris.

Still, he waited, listening to what Sephiroth would say.

"We can stop this right here, Cloud. We can stop fighting." They stared in shock. "I'll even allow this planet to live. No meteor, no need to use Holy again. All I want now is to get back at Shinra for their disrespect and imprisoning my mother."

"...And?" Cloud slowly got out of his stance, but didn't take his eyes off of the other. "You obviously want something in return."

"Of course." Sephiroth smirked, making Cloud shudder. "I want you."

A pause. Then they heard Barret say, "What the fuck was that?"

"You and I will take down Shinra, and you'll be with me. Forever." Sephiroth didn't bother looking to see anyone else's expressions, only the utter shock and fear on the blond's face. Yes, he finally made Cloud fear him. "I'll let your friends and their families live. They can all go back to their lives. Except you."

"Now, wait here." Cid spoke up, spiting out his cigarette. "You can't be serious, ya loon. Ya won't really let us leave."

"What reason do I have to kill you all when it means I get Cloud's total cooperation?"

"Cloud..." Yuffie stood back up. "Is...is he serious?"

Cloud looked back at them, his hands shaking. "I...I don't know."

"No way!" Tifa yelled. "Why give up all your hatred for Cloud?"

"You love him." Vincent said, staring at the tall man.

Everyone suddenly looked uncomfortable, giving looks to each other. It was Barret that spoke first, and he kept shifting his glances around anywhere but at Cloud's face.

"Look, man...Spiky...I have a little girl to look after..."

Cloud's eyes widened. "You...You don't really think that he's serious, do you?"  
"I can't take that chance with Marlene!" he snapped, hand clenched in a fist. "He's offering to take down fucking Shinra, and he won't destroy us all! You're one of my best...b-best comrades, but...Fuck, Cloud! It's Marlene!"

"I-I'm too young for this..." Yuffie muttered, eyes wide. "I...I'm suppose to take over Wutai, I...I can't..."

"You're actually buying into this loon? What the fuck, you bunch of pussies?" Cid yelled, swinging his spear around. "Why let us live when he can kill us **and** take the damn kid! Use your brains!"

"Cloud." Vincent looked at the blond man, eyes passive. "What do you think?"

Cloud didn't say anything, but they all knew. They saw it in his eyes, in how badly his hands were shaking. His sword was trembling with them, and suddenly, Cloud realized something. These people...hadn't known him very long. He was barely twenty-one, he'd spent most of his life either being stepped on as a country boy from a backwater town no one cared about, or being ordered by Shinra as their lapdog. That was his life...straightforward and clean cut. And hadn't he put up with all the suffering that the world had given him? Hadn't he watched Zack die, then Aeris? Hadn't he seen his town burning, heard the screaming?

"...No." Cloud said, backing away slightly from the General. "I don't...You can't expect me..."

"Face it, Cloud." Sephiroth cut in, taking a couple steps forward. "You have nothing to offer them. What could you bargain for?"

Cloud nearly tripped, trying to back away from him. "Please...you guys..."

"Cloud..." He turned to his last hope, his once best friend. Tifa stared at him. "You know...I hate Shinra."

"No, Tifa."

"And...you've got...a part of that monster, Jenova, in you...right?" Tifa shook her head. "We can finally make the world a better place. No Shinra, no more mako...no SOLDIER..."

"You..." Cloud turned to the rest of them, eyes glowing slightly and making them all flinch. "You really expect me to sit back and allow you all to be happy while I get thrown to the side and have to suffer? You wouldn't have made it anywhere without me! You all expected me, the ex-SOLDIER, to beat him and save the planet! Now you're all willing to hand me over because things aren't looking good?"

"Cloud..."

"NO!" Cloud shouted, glaring at each of them. "I won't do it! Fuck you, and fuck the planet!"

"Cloud," Sephiroth cut in, still smirking. "I believe they've made their decision."

"This isn't right..." Nanaki muttered, frowning. "We can't really ask him to do this, can we?"  
"We have to..." Yuffie answered, shaking. "Cloud...we're sorry..."

They couldn't look at him. None of them. Cloud began feeling panic well up inside of him. This...was really happening. They were going to let Sephiroth take off with him, and do unspeakable things because they wanted assurance that they would be okay. He could understand Barret a little...Marlene had already lost her parents and losing another would devastate her. But this was _Sephiroth_. He was cruel, cold and Cloud hated him more than hating anyone ever in his entire life. The thought of him touching him made him feel ill. What would Zack say? What would Aeris?

"I can't..." he whispered, backing away from his once Idol, feeling all rational thought leave him. "No, I won't. I'd rather fight you. I'll make you kill me before I let you come near me."

"Very well, then. We'll do this the hard way."  
One second, Sephiroth was smirking at him. The next, Cloud felt something jab at his stomach and he blacked out. The silver haired man chuckled slightly, picking up Cloud and holding him bridal-style. Everyone else could only stare. Obviously, they had no chance fighting the General. He had been playing with them all until he could make his offer...and they all fell for it.

"I sincerely hope you don't regret your decision." Sephiroth sneered then flew away with his one black wing.

Yuffie fell to her knees. "Did that...really happen?"

"We...we had no choice." Barret answered, though his voice wavered. "Spike...he understands, right?"

"We had a choice." Vincent said, not looking at them. "We could've fought. Instead, we just gave Sephiroth everything he needs to either take over or destroy our planet."

"W-what do you mean?" Tifa asked, eyes wide.

Cid scuffed, pulling out a new cigarette. "I think I'm gettin' what ya sayin'."

"Think about it." Vincent went on, his claw clenching slightly. "Who will stop Sephiroth if he comes back?"  
Silence. Vincent closed his eyes.

"And what says Cloud won't join him now that we've all betrayed him?"  
Still silence. Though this time, everyone seemingly realized just what they had done by letting Sephiroth take Cloud away.

"We...we fucked up." Barret finally muttered.

"Oh Gaia..." Tifa turned to the remains of their battlefield. "What are we suppose to do now?"  
Cid rolled his shoulders, and began walking back towards civilization. "We hope that don't happen...and pretend this was all a nightmare."

Slowly, they all followed after him, each thinking about what had happened...and deciding if they could deal with the guilt or not.

I think that's enough for one chapter, right? I'm just seeing if this will be something people want to read before I get any further. So please review and let me know. Also, I don't have a beta, and I don't have a spell checker, so I can use either help or suggestions. Thanks!

MRIMO


	2. Crazy

*blinks a couple times* Wow...I didn't think that my inbox would be bombarded like it was...makes me feel nice. :D I want to thank all of you. Really, your reviews mean a lot to me. *smile* But I should _**warn you**_: this will most likely get graphic and dark. If that makes you uncomfortable, then you need to turn back.

Thanks.

Cloud awoke feeling sick, and not really sure where he was. He remembered snippets of things, like holding Aeris as she died, and getting Holy. He remembered fighting Sephiroth and how the Lifestream had showed up to help them. Then he remembered that they couldn't beat him.

They had lost.

He wanted to shoot up and check his surroundings, maybe even see where everyone else was. But he couldn't. As he tried to get his hands to pull him up, he felt something keeping them there. His feet too. Confused and still muddled, Cloud opened his eyes, He was in a room...a very nice, if not dirty, room. He could smell dust and the air itself was stale. The curtains of the window were slightly eaten away, and he realized that what was holding him back were a pair of leather belts. They looked distinctly familiar...actually, the whole place did. Trying to keep his thoughts together, he focused on before he fell asleep.

_'Oh Gaia-__**fucking**__-dammit!'_

He immediately remembered. He was at Shinra Mansion at Nibelheim. This was the bedroom where the bookshelf opened up to the secret basement where Professor Gast's notes were about Jenova, the Cetra and Sephiroth. Why was he here? Where was everyone else? He tried to think and keep himself calm. Surely...surely it had been a dream, right? They hadn't really handed him over to Sephiroth...it was a nightmare he had from losing. Yes, any minute now Tifa would come in to check up on him...

"You're awake."

Cloud glared at the Silver General, pulling at his bonds. "Fuck you."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Not that I don't appreciate the invite, we have other things to do before we can play." Cloud felt all color leave him, eyes wide. "As it stands, you can't survive me. Of anything...I can easily kill you by snapping your bones, and if we have sex I might break you in half. And the whole point in keeping you, Cloud, is that you survive. So, I've finally found a solution."

He held up a book, obviously full of notes from Gast. Cloud felt his heart-rate quicken. This had to be a sick joke. He began fighting the leather, damn near leaning over and biting through it if he had to. Apparently, this amused Sephiroth because the man chuckled, putting the book on a already cluttered desk. Obviously he had been staying here for awhile before this.

"It won't work." he said, smirking. "They've been enhanced with mako from the spring in the mountains. You remember the one, right?"

Unfortunately. Cloud's glare darkened, nearly hissing at him. "What do you want from me?"

Sephiroth shook his head, making Cloud remember the academy and the cadet uniform he wore...No, dammit, don't think of that! He rid himself of those thoughts, instead trying to kick his feet. He doubted it, Sephiroth wasn't stupid, but he hoped maybe that they hadn't been enhanced. It made him feel even more helpless, struggling there, but he needed to try! He wasn't going to lay here nicely and let Sephiroth explain his perfect little world full of SOLDIER like people, Jenova as a ruler and Sephiroth himself being God. The idea sickened him.

"It's useless, Cloud." the man said, still smirking irratibly. "What do you hope to accomplish-"  
It was then that Cloud's foot connected with his face.

They were both shocked. Cloud's eyes widened, felt his heart still. Oh Gaia, what had he just _done_? He didn't think they would really snap! He still couldn't get away, and now he probably pissed off the man who had complete control over him. _'I don't think things through too well, do I?'_ He thought, staring up at the General. He was waiting...waiting to see what the hell would happen to him now. He nearly had a heart-ttack when Sephiroth just chuckled, lightly rubbing where he had been hit.

"Apparently I didn't let that one soak long enough." He turned his slitted eyes back to Cloud, making him try and shrink back. "Now, we were discussing something."

Cloud almost fainted from relief, but instead stiffened. "I won't do it. Anything you want of me, I'd rather die!"

"Must this all go back to you dying? Think of how much that would hurt your companions." He then grinned evilly. "Then they wouldn't have assurance."

Cloud felt a jolt in his chest. He had almost forgotten...they had all betrayed him. He remembered how they couldn't even face him, they all avoided his eyes...except Vincent and Cid, both of which had surprised Cloud. Sure, they didn't run to his rescue but they had tried to reason with everyone else...somewhat. If nothing else, Cloud might find it in himself to forgive them...

It would probably take awhile though...

"See, Cloud?" Sephiroth went on. "This is why this world needs a God to help it. Then we don't have to worry about the weaklings sacrificing the strong to live. You can get back at them."

"Revenge?" Cloud whispered, head hanging. "That sounds nice..."

The Silver General smirked. "Doesn't it?"  
"Like the revenge of you burning down my hometown!" Cloud snapped, spitting in the man's face.

He merely wiped it away, looking annoyed. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this..."

Cloud snarled. "I'll never submit to you! It's because of you that my mother died, and that me and Zack got caught! You and Shinra killed him! Then you take away Aeris! How could I forget that when you have the **balls** to bring me back here?"

"Does it hurt?" Sephiroth asked softly, green eyes glinting. "The black hared you feel? Do you know the real sorce of it?"

"I just said it." Cloud hissed. "It's you!"

"No, Cloud." He reached over and gently took a strand of Cloud's hair, making him stiffen again. "It's from _her_."

Cloud faultered slightly. "Who?"

"From her. Jenova, my mother. You're one of hers now, that's why I could control you. You are one of her children."

"No, I'm not like you!" Cloud argued, wretching his hair from the other's grasp, despite that it hurt. "You or your psycho-bitch mother!"

He was expecting the slap, but not how much it hurt. He bit his lip to keep from crying out, tasting blood. There was a dark light in Sephiroth's eyes, one that he always seemed to get when talking about Jenova. Bitterly, Cloud thought about that night...when Nibelheim was burning down. Zack had been worried about Sephiroth, but...Why had it all come to this? Why was he betrayed when he just wanted to avenge them?

Why him?

"I'm going to give you a gift, Cloud." Sephiroth said calmly, ignoring the trail of blood that came from the corner of the blond's mouth. "Something wonderful. But it won't work until I have your loyalty."

Cloud didn't say anything, but continued to glare at him. Just because he didn't argue didn't mean he had accepted anything. Especially Sephiroth. Instead, he looked away from him and at the wall, thinking. He would get away. He would escape, maybe killed Sephiroth if he could but he doubted that...but...A plan formed in Cloud's mind. He wasn't dumb, but he wasn't a genius. He was just the fighter. But this plan...it was perfect. But it had a lot of pain involved...And deception. Sephiroth was a lot smarter, he needed to fool him. Then he could use this 'gift' against the man, and then...

He would go after those bastards who called themselves his companions.

"What gift?" He asked, almost wishing that Sephiroth wouldn't hear him.

"You'll be like me."

Whatever Cloud was expecting, it wasn't that. He felt his eyes widened. Be like Sephiroth? The idea was both sickening and amazing. It held power, but being a monster. Becoming something better than human, but falling into human emotions like greed and pride. He mentally shook the thoughts away. It was a gift he could use against Sephiroth, and that would be what it's used for.

"Did Zack ever mention what happens to those exposed to mako at a First Class level?" Sephiroth asked, peering at the blond. "What happens to their bodies?"

"They mutate." Cloud answered softly, still not looking at him. "They change into something else..."

Sephiroth chuckled. "Sometimes. But it can be wonderful if the right person gets it. I once thought it meant I myself was a monster, but Zack helped me. He told me that my wings were that of an angel."

Cloud felt his breath hitch. Everyone knew the rumors about Sephiroth having wings. No one believed it, but at the same time, they did. Somewhere deep inside, they knew it was true. Cloud had been one of them. He had known that Sephiroth had wings before hearing the rumors. It was something in his head that told him. And then, seeing Genesis with his wing proved it. He knew that Zack had wanted wings like Angeal...white wings of an angel.

But for Cloud himself to have them?

"No." Cloud hissed, narrowing his eyes. "Keep your wings. I know that you're a monster even with them!"

Sephiroth sighed, obviously expecting such an answer. "Consider yourself lucky. With all that's happened today, I won't punish you. But tomorrow," He grabbed Cloud's chin, grinning when the blond squirmed out of fear. "Well, I hope you can learn to behave yourself by tomorrow. Or else."

Mustering up what little courage Cloud had left in him, he glared at the General and went to spit on him again. But before he could, Sephiroth leaned in and kissed him, making the younger SOLDIER stiffen and struggle. It didn't last long, the silver haired man pulled away smirking.

"Goodnight, Cloud."

And with that he left, making Cloud stare after him. He had a very bad feeling about tomorrow...

Vincent was the only one in the room immune to the hard sobbing. Everyone else was trying to calm down Marlene as the poor girl cried harder every time they tried to comfort her. She had not taken Cloud's "death" well. They told her that Aeris and Cloud had both been killed by Sephiroth, but they had died heroes because no one ever needed to worry about Sephiroth or Jenova again. They had told the same story to the Turks when they showed up at Aeris's church, and then quickly ran off.

"Please, Marlene, don't cry." Tifa pleaded, hugging the girl. "We're all safe now."

"It's not fair!" she cried, making everyone shift uneasily. "Why Cloud and Aeris? It's not fair!"

"Life ain't fair, lil' girl." Cid muttered, ignoring the dark look he got from Barret. "Nothin' you can do 'bout it."

"Maybe you should put her to bed." Tifa suggested to the gun-armed man. "We have things we need to discuss."

"Yeah, yeah." He picked her up, shushing her gently. "It's alright, Marlene. Come on."

When the front door shut, Tifa turned the rest of the group. "Now what?"  
"What the fuck you mean, 'now what'?" Cid demanded, inhaling from his cigarette. "We left Spike to die, we're screwed. End of discussion."

"There had to be a way to get him back." Tifa argued, frowning at everyone's lack of interest. "He could turn on us! Why am I the only one that cares?"

Yuffie snorted. "In case you forgot, you handed him over too. You're not turning this around on us."

"She's right." Nanaki said. "We all decided that we would prefer an option that meant a guarantee of us all living. We are...were, Cloud's companions. We've betrayed him in the worse sense."

The black haired women wanted to argue but was stopped by the front door opening. In walked the three people they didn't want to have to deal with again: Reno, Rude and Tseng. She sighed, but was thoroughly shocked when Tseng gave them a dark look.

"Before we discuss, remove yourself from the flowers. Ms. Grainsborogh worked hard on those."

Sheepishly, they all did. Reno smirked, sauntering over to the edge of them. "Hard to think they're still here without her, yo."  
"What do you guys want?" Yuffie demanded shortly. "Isn't there more important things for you to be doing...like cleaning up that explosion?"

Tseng gave her a look but didn't merely turned to Tifa and Vincent. "We have much to discuss. Besides wanting to know what really happened at the Northern Cave, we've come to tell you about...a rather large dilema that Gaia is facing."

"You think we're lying?" Was yelled at the same time as "What the fuck is wrong with the damn world now?"

"Actually, it's proof that you're lying." Reno said, grinning despite the death looks he was getting. "See, there's a disease going around. Makes people's insides liquify and turn black, poisoning them. Apparently it has Jenova's cells in it, yo. Meaning, Sephiroth ain't dead, and that Cloud couldn't have killed him in battle."

"Doesn't take a genius to put it together." Rude muttered.

"We need to know what's really going on." Tseng explained. "No matter what it is."

Cid gave a gruff chuckled. "We sold 'em out."

Tseng looked confused. "Who?"

"Cloud." Vincent answered, making some of the people in the church jump. "We made a deal with Sephiroth."

"What?" Reno honestly looked shocked. "You freaking sold out Cloud to Sephiroth, yo? What the hell?"

Rude merely smirked. "And I thought politicians were bad..."

"You...You're serious." Tseng muttered, for once looking surprised. Even if it was slightly. "You gave our one chance, our only living SOLDIER, to the enemy?"

"Look, we want to get him back!" Tifa argued, rather defensively, thought the three Turks. "But we need help. We have no idea how to take on Sephiroth."

Without saying a word, Tseng turned and left. After a moment, Reno and Rude followed, but not before the red head gave them a mocking salute and smirk. "Well, you guys have screwed yourselves over, yo!"

Done! Yay! :3 I hope this was up to par with what you were hoping for. And don't worry, Cloud won't give into Sephiroth for awhile. ::chuckles evilly:: Please let me know what you all think! And maybe any suggestions you want to see, for torture or pairings. Thanks!

MRIMO


	3. Breaking

Wow, you guys. :D You're really making me happy! Now, after listening to all of you, there is something I want to say. This won't be pure sex. There probably won't for awhile because Sephiroth is trying to win Cloud over, and raping him wouldn't work so well. Also, I'm not going to make Cloud a whore and he'll quick jump into bed because of the bad things happening to him. Okay? Thanks. :D

~~~~~~~~~Line Break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, why are we going out of our way to try and find this kid? I mean, there's a lot of other shit we could be doing, yo."

Rude didn't say anything back, but Reno knew by how his fingers jitted slightly on the steering wheel, he didn't know either. And it was highly unlikely that Tseng, who was sitting in the back with Rufus Shinra, would answer. Tseng was a firm believer of Need To Know thing, so they were really only told that they needed to find Sephiroth, and therefore Cloud, as soon as possible.

"Cloud's our last SOLDIER." Reno looked back, surprised when it was Rufus that answered. "And while we do need to start cleaning up our world, as long as Sephiroth is around, there won't be any hope of safety. He'll come back for us."

"And Cloud is the only one who can stop him." Tseng added. "Who else can we ask? Avalanche? They betrayed him in an instant, and I don't think Cloud would appreciate it that they would show up to his 'rescue'. So it's up to us."

"What're we going to do about them anyway?" Reno asked, looking back at their boss. "Even I think it was pretty low that they left him, yo."

Rufus just stared at his folded hands, obviously thinking. Reno was about to drop it when he answered. "We'll leave them be for now. I have a hunch that if Cloud escapes, he'll come after them."

Reno smirked, watching Rude's knuckles turn white. "Don't be that way, partner. You don't want to be with her if she turns her boy over to a psycho murderer, do you?"

"...That doesn't make me feel better, Reno."

~~~~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cloud awoke to find his arms and legs free. He blinked, not having gotten a lot of sleep last night because he was uncomfortable and scared witless about what would happen to him the next day. The belts were nowhere to be seen, so it wasn't that he had broken out of them, so that only meant...Sephiroth had undone them. That made him curious and anxious. Obviously Sephiroth thought he didn't even need restraints to hold Cloud there, and that was hopefully a good thing. If he was cocky enough, maybe Cloud could catch him off guard and get out of here.

"Cloud," Said man jumped, not having heard Sephiroth walk in. "I'll give you one more chance. Join me willingly, or else I will have to hurt you."

Cloud glared at him. "I'd rather die."

The silver haired man sighed, shaking his head. "When will you learn that I won't let that happen? The whole reason for all of this is so I can have you forever."

Cloud held back the sudden need to either swallow or spit. Though it was hard, he just continued to glare up at the man as he was hoisted up onto the others shoulder and carried into the 'secret' hallway behind the staircase. _'I can do this,'_ he thought. _'I was taught how to resist torture, and I have something to fight for. I will live to get back at them...I want revenge,'_

"Does it hurt, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked as he put the blond on to a lab table, keeping him there by a hand on his chest. "To know how alone you are right now? Even your precious Tifa Lockheart has given you up, and now you're mine."

Cloud snarled at him. "I'll never be yours!"

The General smirked, reaching over and grabbing Cloud's left hand. "We'll start with something simple. I'll break your fingers until you ask me to stop. If you do, you kiss me. If you hold out, then I'll move to a different part of your body. Understood?"

Cloud swallowed roughly, nodding. He could do this. The thought of asking anything of Sephiroth was infuriating and disgusting. What were a couple fingers? He was a SOLDIER, they'd heal on their own without any help. He'd just would need time before he could kill Sephiroth and Avalanche-

CRACK.

Not prepared, he screamed, eyes wide to see the smirk on Sephiroth's face. It had been his pointer finger, which now laid on an angle. Cloud was afraid to move too much and risk making it hurt further. But while it did hurt, Cloud had been through worse. It wasn't that Mako Poisoning made you go out of it, it hurt. Every vein it went through, every limb, every artery, burned like it'd be set aflame for hours. Compared to that, this was nothing.

He just needed to remember that for every finger...

"Good." Sephiroth muttered, still smirking. "Not very SOLDIER, though, Cloud. You're giving me the advantage of knowing that it does affect you."

Cloud chuckled, smirking back. "Then try it again, _General_."

He'd never admit it, but Sephiroth shivered, taken aback by the tone Cloud used. This was it. This was why he knew he needed Cloud to be his. Since the boy had been a Cadet and Zack had shoved the poor boy into his office once, Sephiroth knew that he was important. He didn't know how, but he was. When he learned that Cloud had been injected, and then Zack was killed, he'd been somewhat relieved. He'd no longer have to worry about Zack going after him, (though he did sometimes miss the puppy...) and now Cloud could become like him. But only if he showed he was worthy.

CRACK.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, this time Cloud didn't even twitch. Yes, the blond was worthy of his gift. But he had to let go of his foolish, _human_ thoughts to fully follow him. But, it would work. He knew it. Sephiroth knew how to torture, because he had been made that way. He chuckled, snapping Cloud's Ring and Pinky fingers at the same time. He still didn't get a response. Just for good measure, he broke his thumb.

"I'm impressed, Cloud." Sephiroth said lightly, looking over the broken digits. "Usually, I would continue on to your arm and legs, but I think that it's enough for your first day."

Cloud looked at him suspiciously. "Really? You expect me to believe that?"

"...No, but it was worth a shot."

He hit Cloud's left femur with the side of his hand, grinning when he heard it break. Cloud winced, but didn't cry out. Well, that wouldn't do. He grabbed Cloud's boot and twisted it, watching the blond's face for any signs that he was getting close. He noticed that Cloud clenched his right hand, and squeezed his eyes shut. How was Cloud used to pain like this? He tried to think back, hearing anything at all about the blond being hurt or tortured. Zack would never let it happen to him, so it had to be after that...

"Mako Poisoning."

Cloud flinched, seeing the smirk that spread across Sephiroth's face. That couldn't be good.

The silver haired man laughed, lightly tapping his fingers on Cloud's leg, watching the blond twitch each time. "I should've remembered...I've never been subjected to Mako the way you have, so I have no memory of the pain. But as I recall, it's one of the worst pains a human can go through." He shook his head. "Nothing I do can compare...Except..."

Cloud glared at him. "There's nothing you can do, Sephiroth!"

"Maybe not at the moment." Sephiroth muttered, leaning up until their noses brushed. "I'll just have to go back to this, but I think I have an idea for tomorrow..."

He hit Cloud's torso, watching the blond's face twist to agony as his ribs broke. He did a clean hit, he'd hate for them to pierce the boy's lungs because then he'd need to heal him and redo all the damage he'd already did. And that wouldn't be entertaining at all.

"Where next, Cloud? Or should we do something else? I can have you electrocuted, just enough that it hurts and won't kill you. I can whip you, but that's horribly unoriginal. I can throw you into a room full of monsters and watch you attempt to fight them off in the state your in. Or should I go for emotional?" He grinned, grabbing Cloud's chin and looking into those blue eyes. "Make you watch your precious Cetra be killed over and over. Your mother burning while you just sit there and let it happen. Be useless as Zack fights to protect you."

"S-shut up!" Cloud hissed, trying to fight against the other man. "You're the cause of all of that!"

"Am I, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked lightly. "Or is your hate misplaced? Shinra was the one who made me. Shinra put you and Zack into those tubes until you were so poisoned that you couldn't do anything while he died. And it was even Shinra that filled your poor flower girl's heads with thoughts that Holy was the only way to stop Meteor and my mother."

"No, it was you! All you!" Sephiroth frowned, confused, as Cloud seemingly exploded, the young man crying and yelling at the same time. He'd never seen this in a human before, and while fascinating, it was also rather disturbing. Something inside him said he shouldn't see Cloud cry.

"I fucking adored you, Sephiroth. I wanted to be you so I could go home and have my fucking life back! Instead I get roped into all this alien bullshit and suddenly, because those assholes at Shinra killed Zack, I have to be the one to safe this fucking planet and be the one to kill you!" Cloud kneed him in the stomach, which didn't do anything, but made him feel slightly better. "I hate you all. I don't care anymore if a meteor comes down and wipes everyone out, or if you get killed by the Turks. I fucking _loved_ you at one point."

"Cloud..." Sephiroth was actually at a loss. He'd never seen anything like this before...

Cloud sighed, his breath shuddering. "Do your worse."

And just like that, it was as if it never happened. Sephiroth thought he might've imagined it except for the tear stains on Cloud's face. But this gave him an idea, a way to toy with Cloud when he was vulnerable. Maybe...maybe this meant he could have the boy sooner than he was expecting. He knew Cloud was tough, or else he wouldn't be suited to Sephiroth's needs, but this way...It meant he could skip over all of that and he could just have what he wanted.

"It's enough for one day." He said, licking the tears away and making the blond flinch away from him. "I'll go with the other half of your body tomorrow."

"It won't work." Cloud said, his tone a mix of tired and light. "You'll have to poison me again, and I doubt even you have the power to stop Mako from killing me if you mess up."

Sephiroth chuckled. "We'll see, Cloud."

~~~~~~~~~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So the Turks are going after Cloud, and we're going to sit here and wait?" Yuffie asked, looking bored. "To hell with it then, I'm going back to Wutai."

"Not so far, Missy." Cid cut in, pointing his cigarette at her. "You're stuck here with us until we have a fucking plan out of this bullshit."

"Well, no one's coming up with anything!" Yuffie argued, pointing at Vincent. "You have an idea?" he got a look as a reply, so she went on to Nanaki. "You have an idea?"

"None at the moment..." he said, sitting down. "But she's right, we do need to think of something."

"Should we go out and look for Cloud?" Tifa asked.

Vincent turned to her. "And do what? Ask him for forgiveness?"

"We also have this Geo-thing to worry 'bout." Cid added, grounding out his cigarette. "Apparently it's affectin' kids more than the adults."

"What if Marlene gets it!" Barret yelled. "We need to kill Sephiroth before that happens!"

Cid snorted, searching through his pockets for another cig. "I think you're missin' the point."

"Well, let's think of it this way." Yuffie said, tapping her chin. "Where would we never think to look for Cloud or Sephiroth?"

"...Well, Midgar since it's a fucking pile of rubble." Barret said.

Tifa frowned. "Someone like Sephiroth wouldn't want to stay in a rundown place...not for what he's, uh...planning."

"What about Nibelheim?" Nanaki suggested. "That's where he first learned about his mother, isn't it?"

"But it's full of Shinra employees." Yuffie argued.

Cid chuckled, shaking his head. "Easy to manipulate. Plus, ain't there a big ass mansion? He could stay there."

"There's also a working lab." Vincent added, expression darkening. "Not sure what he'd use it for, but you never know with Sephiroth."

"Okay!" Yuffie jumped to her feet, and attached her Shuriken to her back. "Off to Nibeleim!"

"Shouldn't we tell someone?" Tifa asked, frowning. "We can't just...leave Marlene, and what if we're right and Sephiroth is there? We need help."

"Yea, in case you're all forgettin', he kicked our asses last time." Cid muttered.

"I'll inform the Turks." Vincent said softly, walking off before anyone could argue.

"I can stay with Marlene." Nanaki offered, getting odd looks. "I'm afraid against Cloud or Sephiroth, I won't be much help. The least I can do is make sure the girl doesn't get Geostigma and attacked."

Barret nodded. "Thanks, Red."

They headed out, planning on going out to get supplies, wait for Vincent, then take Cid's airship to Nibelheim. Tifa frowned the whole time, thinking back to that day when the town burned. Cloud had been too afraid to face her then...he never knew about her hatred for SOLDIER because it had been Zack. But even though he had no hope of fighting Sephiroth, he still tried to protect her...and she spat in his face and turned her back on him.

_'Aeris...'_ she thought, cringing at the thought of the pretty flower girl. _'What would you think of us right now?'_

~~~~~~~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm debating about the next chapter...should I shock you, or draw it out? I needs answers, people! And yes, I know I have a lot of spelling errors, I only have a notepad on the computer. I miss my Word Perfect... ::cried::

MRIMO


	4. Tormented

Hello everyone. I know I made you all wait longer than you're used to with me, but, well...I just started college AND I got hired at a Halloween Store. :3 So yeah. Been kinda busy. Thanks for waiting for me, though, and I hope you all like this chapter. :3 It's what you all asked for.

~~~~~~~~Line Break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I hope you realize what you're doing." Rufus said to the ex-Turk. "What if we use this information against you?"

Vincent merely glanced at him before going back to looking out the window of the President's new office. He was surprised that they had begun rebuilding so soon in this new city. They had called it 'Edge' since it was just outside the edge of Midgar...or rather, what was left of Midgar.

"I know."

The blond man smirked slightly. "And you don't care? You don't care if I get to Nibelheim before you and your group and convince Cloud to join me? Or if I kill them both and you'll never get your forgiveness?"  
"They aren't doing it for that." the dark haired man muttered. "And you could never convince Cloud to join you. He hates Shinra just as much as Sephiroth."

"You sound so sure."

The red-eyed man merely tilted his chin down in what Rufus assumed to be an eye-roll since the man was much too dignified to actually do such a thing. "I traveled with Cloud for months. Though it wasn't that long, I know him. He'd never give into you, just like he'd never be used again. Not by anyone."

Rufus made a humming sound, and an unspoken agreement to disagree came between them. "What if he's not there?"

"Then we keep looking. It's up to you what you do from here on, it's part of your mess too."

He turned away and began to leave, pretending he didn't notice Reno in the corner and had heard everything. He was too much of a Turk not to notice, but also too much of a demon to care. Maybe that's why the thought of killing Cloud hurt so much. In a way, the young man was like him. He had been turned into something horrible against his will, and still people tried to use him. Though he was probably just trying to make himself feel better...it wasn't like he tried to stop Sephiroth from taking Cloud either. It's just...

Sephiroth looked just like his mother...

~~~~~~~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If Cloud had been a lower man, he'd probably would've given in the minute he saw the tubes. A part of him felt something like pride to see the second tube still in shatters, he remembered doing that. But then he felt the panic well up inside of him. He knew what was happening. He remembered this from before, all those years ago. He didn't want to go back. He didn't want to feel that again.

When Cloud had first entered Shinra, one of the Professors had been rather interested in him. It wasn't Hojo, Cloud would've remembered if it was. But instead, it was a man he'd never seen before, and the man had told him he would probably never make the cut for SOLDIER. When Cloud asked why, all he got was that he was very, _very_ suspectable to Mako energy. More so than anyone else who'd ever come through those doors of Midgar.

So, when he and Zack had been put into the system together after his hometown burned, he got poisoned. He wasn't sure if the doctors knew, or if they cared, but it had been the most painful experience of his life. Nothing he'd gone through had ever been as bad. Even when it came to emotional pain, a part of him would rather see Zack die a thousand times again just to make sure he never had to feel Mako again.

"Don't worry, Cloud." Sephiroth said as he put the bound male on a cold, metal tabletop. "I won't allow you to become poisoned again. We're just going to try something...different."

Cloud glared at him, though he probably didn't look too intimidating since he kept looking back to the tubes and wires of the lab. "That's not reassuring."  
The silver haired man only smirked, walking around the lab and fiddling with some things. Cloud didn't watch to see what he was doing, he was too busy making sure his mind didn't betray him and he'd begin to beg. He soon smelt the familiar, stabbing smell of unnatural Mako. His eyes watered, whether because of the strong scent or because Cloud knew what his next torture would be.

"Relax, Cloud." the General whispered in his ear, causing him to shudder. "It'll be over soon."

"What do you-"

He couldn't finish his question. Soon, a needle went through his arm and he choked when it began to burn. Immediately his vision faded. His heart raced. His body screamed in agony. And, unlike last time, he heard a voice in the back of his head. It was soothing, whispering nice things to him as he felt himself screaming. It sounded like Aeris...like she was trying to make him feel better. His mind tried to latch on to her voice, wanting to get away from the agony he was going through.

_"It's going to be okay, Cloud. It'll stop hurting."_

He screamed again, only having enough piece of mind not to say anything. He didn't trust himself not to ask Sephiroth to stop, that he'd gladly put on another dress and fucking _dance_ if it meant that pain would stop. Instead, he closed his eyes and listened to Aeris. He could almost feel her there, a hand on his arm and those beautiful green eyes.

_"I'm going to help you, Cloud. I'll make it stop hurting, but you have to do what I tell you."_

He'd do anything at this point. He was beginning to forget things...if it wasn't for this voice, he'd probably forget his own name.

_"Then hold on to me. We're almost there, Cloud. We'll get through this. Everything will be alright. You can trust me, Cloud. You can trust me."_

Soon, all Cloud saw was green. Briliant green-blue eyes. She was beautiful. He reached for her hand and felt something entering his mind, his hear, his soul. He gasped, and something inside of him broke.

"Moth...er..."

~~~~~~~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Um..."

"It didn't look like this last time."

Tifa could only stare at the remains of her hometown, blind to the sympathedic looks her companions were giving her. The last time they'd been here, with Cloud and Aeris, the place was bustling with Shinra's employees, who were pretending to be the townspeople since everyone died six years ago. Now, it looked just like how she imagined it after the fire...everything was in ruins, burnt and falling apart. Trees had been knocked over, the houses weren't even rubble anymore, and there was no sign of life anywhere.

"Uh, guys?" Yuffie shielded her eyes against the sun, squinting at something. "Is that a cat?"

On the path leading to the mansion was a black cat. Tifa remembered it from their previous trip here, Aeris had wanted to pet it and it ran away from her. Odd, that the only thing to apparently survive was a little cat instead of people, monsters, or the forest. Shrugging away the uncomfortable feeling she had, the black haired women instead began walking.

"I think we might've made a good guess..." Cid muttered, looking around. "Looks like ol' Sephiroth turned this place into a fucking dead-zone."

"Well, he did say he wanted to go after Shinra." Tifa said.

They went back into uncomfortable silence, walking towards the mansion. Yuffie tried to grab the cat when they got close enough, but it scampered away, right towards the entrance of the Shinra Mansion. They all shared a look, wondering what was going on and trying to pretend that they weren't bothered. It was Vincent who stopped first, staring at the front door when they reached the gates. Someone was standing there.

They didn't have words. Holding the cat was none other than Cloud, who looked...good. No scars, no bleeding, no haunted look in his eye. He was just...fine. And he seemed happy, as he pet the little feline before he turned to look at them. He frowned slightly, causing them all to tense up.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Cloud, is that...really you?" Tifa asked, eyes wide. "Are you okay?"

He didn't answer immediately, he let the cat run off before he sighed. "Of course it's me. Though, I think this is pretty funny. You guys are, what? Chasing after me to save me? Ask for my forgiveness? Or are you just doing as Shinra tells you to these days?"

"The fuck is that suppose to mean?" Barret snapped. "We're trying to help you!"

Cloud snorted. "Yes, I can tell you're doing a wonderful job. Especially the part where you betrayed me to my worst enemy that has killed two of my best friends and my mother. Thanks."

"We messed up." Yuffie said, the only one of them that actually walked towards Cloud slightly. "Please, Cloud. We wished we hadn't done it. We were scared...we never imagined that Sephiroth would be that powerful."

Cloud shook his head. "You know, I think I could find it inside myself to forgive you...well, not all of you. A couple of you though. But see, there's this little, tiny problem with that." He grinned, already blue eyes turning to a sort of neon as they began to glow. "Mother wants you all dead."

They could only watch as a gorgeous, white wing spread from his left side, sending feathers everywhere. No one moved, too shocked to think straight. Next thing they knew, Tifa screamed and Vincent, Cid and Barret had moved out of the way, Vincent dragging Yuffie with him.

Tifa stared down at the hole in her stomach, then up at Rude, who had thrown Cloud's hand aside before it could go all the way through. Reno cursed from somewhere behind her, and then she felt herself moving. Rude was quickly muttering spells to heal her and she heard Vincent's Cerberus go off.

"We're too late." Rufus said from her right, noticeably not fighting, but not running away either. "Sephiroth has found a way to conduct Jenova through Cloud..."

"What does that mean?" Tifa demanded, grabbing the front of his jacket. "How did you mess up this time?"

Rufus eyed her coldly, removing her hand. "I'm not the one who sold him out."

"Shinra!" Cloud yelled, his bright eyes flashing green. "I'm surprised you have the balls to come here yourself."

"Even a coward knows when he needs to fix things." Rufus muttered, eyes flickering to his hand, which he kept in his pocket. "Especially in his best interest."

"Mother wants you dead most of all, Shinra." Cloud hissed, batting Barret away like a fly. "Maybe more than I do. Bring Zack back to me!"

He ran at them, using his new wing like a shield to push everyone out of the way. He only faltered when Vincent kicked him in the stomach, not feeling any pain from that but from his head. He stopped, cringing.

"You have the same blood." His eyes went back to neon-blue. "The same blood as Him."

"What?" Vincent muttered, eyes narrowing but then he was pulled to the side by Barret as a sword pierced the ground right where he was standing.

"We have visitors, it seems." Sephiroth said, eying them all. "How amusing. Weren't these the pawns that betrayed you, Cloud?"  
Cloud looked away from the man, acting almost...shy. "Yes..."

"What did you do to Cloud?" Tifa demanded, standing up. "Answer me!"

"Is she stupid or something?" Reno whispered to Rude, since the black haired women was still bleeding all over. "You sure know how to pick 'em, partner."

Sephiroth looked from Tifa to everyone else, pausing at Rufus before going back to Tifa. He smirked, chuckling slightly. "I fixed him."

Tifa was going to yell some more, but Vincent stopped her, watching Sephiroth as the man put away his sword. "You've put more Mako into him, causing Jenova to speak to him, right?"

"Clever." Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, wondering who this man was. "I can only do so when I have my Mother's head though. Luckily for me, Shinra never realized what having her head could do. You know I took her body, but she told me to split her into parts and scatter her. So I did."

"Dammit, Cloud, aren't you listening to this?" Barret snapped. "He's fuckin' admitting to using you! He's tricking you!"

"If I need to be used to help Mother, then so be it." Cloud said. "Then I'll let her. But right now, I know I need to kill you."

"Cloud!"

"Stop!"

"Think of Aeris, Cloud!"

_'...Aeris?'_

They watched as Cloud crumbled, Sephiroth catching him before he fell to the ground. Though the silver haired man didn't look happy, he didn't look angry either. More annoyed, like this had happened before.

"A part of Cloud still won't give in to Mother." Sephiroth said softly, holding the blond bridal style. "But that's okay, I'm a patient person. Soon, he'll forget about the Flower Girl, Zack, even his own mother and realize that all he needs is me." He looked over at Rufus, who was now surrounded by his Turks. "I won't run. I'll be here, where my rebirth started. Soon I'll have the key to making this world mine and I'll finally have someone to own it with."

He walked back into the mansion, only having eyes for the blond in his arms. Yuffie and Barret shared a look, all of them wondering what they should do. It was Cid that scuffed and began walking away, noticeably unharmed.

"We need t'be stronger than this."

"Then we will be." Barret muttered, looking back to the wreckage around them. "This can't go on. Not with this fucking disease."

Tifa winced, putting a hand over the healing wound, turning to Rufus. "We need to get back to...to Edge. Think of a plan."

"'Course we do, but I don't know if we want you a part of it." Reno drawled, smirking when they all glared at him. "What? Between Sephiroth wanting to destroy Shinra and Cloud wanting to kill you guys, I think I'd rather take Sephiroth. He's reasonably insane. Cloud, he's just nuts now, yo."

"First things first." Vincent muttered. "We need to look into this disease. Learn everything we can about it. Maybe then we'll have an idea of freeing Cloud."

"You..." Yuffie frowned, hesitating. "You think we can? Save Cloud, I mean?"

The black haired man nodded, red eyes not betraying anything. "I believe so. Professor Gast had a lot of notes on Jenova. I think we should be able to find her weakness...and we can only hope that Sephiroth hasn't taken care of it yet."

Tifa nodded. "We can only try...right?"

~~~~~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some parts, I had a lot of fun writing. Others, not so much. :| Lul. Please tell me what you think! I have a bad habit of rushing my writing because I know what the rambles are suppose to mean, but then I forget I'm not writing this for me. XP

MRIMO


	5. Changing

Thanks for being patient with me, guys, and here's the next chapter. Also, I got a new laptop and so, I has Word Perfect so I can at least correct spelling errors. :3

~~~~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cloud wasn't really sure where he was; the place seemed to be endless and he was surrounded by flowers. They looked familiar…like something that was pulling at his mind. The only bit that didn't have flowers had a log and he was sitting on it.

"Where am I?" he questioned, looking around. "I think I've seen this place before…"

He suddenly had a feeling that he needed to look around. So, he got up and went where he thought the edge would be. Instead, all there was was a reflection, but not of him. He smiled, seeing Sephiroth. And to his surprise, next to Seph was a woman with long silver hair and oddly pale-white skin.

"Mother?"

"Is it really?"

Cloud blinked, turning. Standing there was a young woman he'd never seen before. She had gorgeous green eyes and long brown hair that was pulled back into a pink bow. She was wearing a pink dress with a red overcoat.

"Who're you? Where are we?" Cloud asked, frowning.

She smiled sadly, walking next to him. "You know my name, Cloud. You just can't remember."

He rolled his eyes. "That helps. And what did you mean before? Of course she's Mother! Why else would I call her that?"

"Cloud," she sighed, sitting on the log. "Someone's messing with your head. You're being used."

Cloud scowled. "You sound like my so-called friends."

He felt surprised to see her get mad, her face meshing up. It was actually really cute. "What they did was horrible…and it kills me that they'd allow this all to happen. You were meant to save the world, Cloud, and then Gaia was going to purify them all…I didn't like how, but it would show them all what they've become."

"How do you know me?" the blond asked, confused.

"We were friends, Cloud." She said, smiling. "We were…until I died. I was killed by Sephiroth, and you delivered me into the Lifestream."

"I…did?"

She nodded, looking away from him. "I'm afraid for you, Cloud…and the rest of the world. None of this was supposed to happen but it did and we've got to set it right."

He scowled, turning away from her. "Look, as far as I can tell, your nothing more than a figment of my imagination that's trying to turn me away from Mother. You haven't given me a name, and I don't remember you."

"You wouldn't. Jenova is toying with your memories."

"Shut up!" He yelled, the angry that immediately welled up inside of him catching him off-guard. "Don't talk about Mother like that! She's making this horrible world better!"

The girl stood up, frowning. "This world is yours! You were born on to this world and you're okay with Jenova destroying it? Or with Sephiroth taking it over? Do you even like Sephiroth, Cloud?"

He paused, trying to think. Did he like Sephiroth? He remembered the General from his Academy days…back when he didn't know about Mother. He'd always liked him…had a crush on him…but now, with Mother in his head, he didn't know. Mother wanted them together…right?

"Cloud," she reached out but didn't touch him. "You can't do this. Even if she was your real mother, you can't destroy your world. What's left for you? What happens if it's gone, either by Sephiroth or Jenova."

"No." Cloud said, backing away from her. "I can't…Think about this. She's my mother…she's my only mother."

"I can't stop this, Cloud. Only you can." She smiled, and began fading. "Just think this through."

He wanted to say something, but instead, he opened his eyes and was lying in the mansion. He immediately recognized the odd smell that came from the entire place.

"Good, you're awake." Cloud looked over to see Sephiroth, which didn't surprise him. He couldn't think of a moment in his new life that he didn't see his 'love'. "You had me worried…you were tossing in your sleep."

"I'm fine…" Cloud muttered, getting up. "Just a weird dream."

The silver haired male just stared at him until Cloud got off the bed and headed down into the lab. He didn't know why, but he liked to be down here and read Professor Gast's notes. The whole place made him feel sick since he remembered being stuck there with Zack, but he loved to look at all the journals about his mother.

"Cloud," said blond flinched slightly, not looking the other in the eye as he was pushed against the wall. "What do I have to do to make you love me back?"

Cloud frowned, still not looking at him. "I'm trying…Really, I am."

"Then why can't you look at me?"

He went to open his mouth but stopped, not really knowing how to answer him. "…I….I….All I remember anymore is back at the academy, and things have changed. I don't even know how to react that you love me, let alone know I exist."

Sephiroth sighed. "What about those friends of yours?"

At this, Cloud scowled. "They're not my friends. They used me and wanted me to kill Mother. I can never forgive them."

Sephiroth backed away, watching the blond SOLDIER go into the basement. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, thinking. He didn't want to, but he needed to go further…he needed to mess around with Cloud's memories even more. For some reason, he couldn't forget about Zack, and Sephiroth couldn't let him forget his companions because that's why Cloud sided with him in the first place. The only problem…

He would need to go to Jenova again…and Jenova had an unhealthy obsession with her supposed nemesis. He, of course, loved his mother, but she was slowly molding Cloud into something he didn't like. The whole reason in keeping the blond was that he loved how Cloud was, and wanted his trust.

He needed to fight Jenova for this. He would fight her, because this world was now his and he decided that since Cloud loved this world enough to fight alongside some pathetic children to save it, then Sephiroth would fight Jenova.

He'd do it…for Cloud.

~~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~~~~

I was going to write more, but I don't want you all to wait too much. :] I hope you all like it and it met expectations. I'll be on break soon so hopefully I'll be writing a bit more. :D

MRIMO


	6. Turn of Tides

Thanks for all your nice words! :D It makes my day when I look in my inbox and see it full. :3

~~~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~~  
At the moment, Cloud felt like torn; he was in the middle of the ruins of Midgar, since apparently everyone was gone. He wasn't sure why, his memories were blurring together and he was having trouble remembering back into his academy days…he was starting to forget things about Zack.

"Why can't I remember?" Cloud muttered to himself, wishing that he could faint right here and go back to that weird girl in the odd meadow to ask her. "What's wrong with my memories?"  
Something behind him made a crash, causing him to narrow his eyes and turn. He was surprised to see a young boy. He had ginger hair and dark blue eyes in rags. He was dirty and apparently, in pain as he was stumbling.

"Hey." He called out, eying the boy. "What're you doing out here?"  
The boy jumped visibly, having somehow not seen the blond man. Cloud sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose and walked over. An orphan? Why was there an orphan in the ruins of Midgar? He hadn't seen a single living thing so far.

"G-get away from me." The boy snapped, backing away. "I have Geostigma!"

Cloud blinked, confused, as he kept walking towards him. "Geo…stigma?"

"Yeah! So…just, stay back."

"What's Geostigma?" Cloud asked, genuinely curious now. The boy had nowhere to back up to, so Cloud kneeled down to talk to him.

The boy looked suspicious. "You…really don't know?" Seeing Cloud's face, he seemed to relax a bit. "It's a new disease going around…a lot of people are getting it because it's contagious."

The blond frowned. "And…you have it?"

He nodded. "Yeah…got it from some other kids. How have you not heard of it? It's huge in Edge."

He tried to remember what Edge was…a city? On the edge of Midgar? What a clever name…

"What's your name?" Cloud asked, eying the boy.

"D-Denzel."

Cloud made sure to memorize the name so he didn't accidentally call him the wrong thing. "And where are your parents, Denzel?"  
Just as he thought, the boy looked away angrily. "They're dead."

The blond sighed, trying to think of what to do. He wasn't going to bring the kid back with him, Sephiroth would kill him. And really…there wasn't anywhere else that he could ask. Feeling an odd sense of guilt, Cloud decided that he would drop off the kid to Tifa…the least his former companions could do was take in an orphan for him.

"C'mon, kid." He said, walking into the open. "Let me take you somewhere…I know some people who can take care of you."

"I…don't need your pity." Denzel muttered, looking away. "Just leave me alone."

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Look kid, I'm only asking once. There's no guarantee that they'll take you in, and think of it as a ride into Edge, okay? Don't tell anyone you have Geostigma though…if it's contagious then you'll never find anyone who will give a shit if you die or not."

"What about you?" the boy asked. "What if you get it from helping me?"

"I can't get it." The words came without thinking; and really, it made sense. He remembered Sephiroth mentioning a disease caused by Mother. And if that was true, then Cloud couldn't catch it.

Denzel looked at him oddly before walking forward. Before the boy could question it, Cloud reached out and hugged him before his wing unfolded from his body, causing the boy to yell out as they lurched into the air.

"What are you?"

The blond SOLDIER smirked. "I'm a First Class SOLDIER dog."

He didn't respond to that, watching as they quickly flew over the rubble of Midgar. Soon, Edge came into sight and Cloud landed at the outskirts so no one would see him. He eyed the area as Denzel apparently caught his breath.

"You're looking for Tifa." He said. "She owns a bar. If anyone asks, tell them that I sent you."

"Um, what's your name?" the boy asked, surprising Cloud with a smile. "I don't want to say that a First Class SOLDIER helped me, they might not believe it."

"…Cloud."  
~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~  
"This is messed up, yo." Reno said as he, his partner and boss were in their respective areas of Rufus's new office. "The supposed hero turns against us all and now we need to find someone else to fight _him_. Is that irony or just funny?"  
Rude gave him a look from the corner of his eye while Rufus just sighed. "It's anything but funny."

Reno shrugged. "I think it is, yo."

"If only we could reason with them…" Rufus muttered, something they had all heard before. "Get both Sephiroth and Cloud on our side. We'd never need to worry about AVALANCHE ever again…"

Rude gave an odd motion with his hands. "You think we should still be worrying about AVALANCHE at a time like this?"

"What do you mean?" Rufus asked wearily. "We need them to stop the Geostigma."

"I think he means that Shinra keeps messing up." Reno offered, grinning. "Rude's just trying to be polite about it, yo."

Months ago, Rufus probably would've called up Tseng and had them beaten or something as punishment for speaking like that to him. Now, however, he valued their input. The Turks had stayed by him without being paid for the first two months and they worked harder than he'd ever seen. They weren't his employee's any more and more like his friends…not that he'd ever tell them that.

"The stigma is spreading." Rude added, pretending that Reno hadn't said anything. "Mostly through children."

Rufus rubbed the bridge of his nose, thinking. "…Cloud's staying in Nibelheim, right?"

"That's right, yo."

"Any of his friends we could have go talk to him?" the blond man asked.

Rude shook his head. "He doesn't trust any of them…And by the way they were fighting before, the only person he isn't willing to harm looks to be the ex-Turk or the pilot."

"Neither of which would help us." Reno said. "Except maybe the freaky vampire."

"Sir," Tseng came into the room, giving a quick bow despite the fact the he and Elena were the only ones who bothered anymore. "We've received a letter from…from Sephiroth, sir. He'll be in here in an hour."

"What?" Rufus demanded, standing up. "What does he want?"

Tseng looked uncomfortable, shifting from side to side. "Apparently, sir…he wants to destroy Jenova."

Silence; Rufus fell back into his seat, shocked. Reno shared a look with Rude, both wondering if it was true or a trap. It had to be…there was no way Sephiroth would try and kill his mother.

"…Let him in." Rufus muttered. "He will whether we let him or not so don't fight him."

"You sure, yo?" Reno asked. "Should we be prepared in case he tries something?"

The blond man shook his head. "No…there's nothing we can do if he wants to kill us."

Rude twitched again, Reno knowing it was from annoyance. He'd never say it out loud, but Rude hated it when he was hopeless. That's why he was a Turk, because he'd always be ready to fight. Even though this situation was anything but. The red head smirked, tapping his electro-rod against his knee like a toy.

"If we can get Sephiroth with us," Rufus muttered, hands clasped like the business man he used to be. "Then Cloud is with us too."

Reno grinned, kicking Rude in the arm. "Think this'll work?"

Rude gave him a look back that clearly said no. Both partners looked away and gently touched their pocket knives hidden on their person. Whether Rufus liked it or not, a Turk never gave up their weapons. Just in case.

~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~~

Sorry it's so short lately. I wanted to get this out before Christmas. Think if it as a gift for you all! :D Merry Christmas!  
MRIMO


	7. Author Note Please Read

Okay, so I wanted to get this out right now before I delve too far into the rest of the story since I think it'll be finished soon.

Should I continue this or re-write it? This has gone into a different route than I originally planned and it's too…nice. I just jumped the gun with Cloud and I want to go back. Should I finish this version first and write another version or what?

Please let me know. I really appreciate it and thank you all for being patient with me.

-MRIMO


	8. Real Chapter Seven

Thank you all for your comments. :D I've decided to do both, and I'll write the darker version later on. Still, I was amazed to log into my email and see all of your reviews and it means a lot to me.

~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~

Rufus knew that the second Sephiroth walked into his office that he was very much screwed, as Reno would put it. The silver general had a stride to him that the blond had always seen and even meeting his worst enemies, it was back. The CEO knew that whatever Sephiroth wanted, he could only help him. There was no other option and there was no negotiating.

"Rufus," Sephiroth greeted, dark hatred passing through his eyes. "It's been awhile now. I'm surprised you haven't tried a suicide attack on my new home."

Rufus melded his fingers together to hide that his hands were shaking. "Circumstance hasn't been in our favor, I'm afraid. That, and Cloud has done a very good job at killing any of the spies we send out there. You should be proud."  
The silver haired SOLDIER sneered, walking towards the window so he wouldn't need to look at the man. "Trying to make yourself feel better? That's not like you."

"Things have changed." Rufus muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Why have you come here, Sephiroth? I'm trying my hardest to rebuild my company and get back the people's trust but now we have this Geostigma going around…maybe the Cetra are just trying to put us out of our misery at this point."

"You think that the Cetra would have mercy on you? After all you've put the planet through?" Sephiroth asked, smirking. "I'll get to the point so I don't have to listen to you drivel on; I must kill Mother."

Rufus felt his breath hitch, his heart racing. He knew, Tseng had told him beforehand but to hear it from the man's mouth…It was too much. Sephiroth had caused so many problems trying to take over or destroy the world for the alien bitch but he had so quickly turned it around and now wanted to kill her?

"You must really love him." Rufus muttered darkly. "For you to want to kill the reason you've destroyed everything."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at him. "It's nothing you would understand."

Ouch.

Rufus glared at him, getting to his feet. "You know nothing."

"You like to hide here with what little money you have left and scrambling to clear your family name. You have no time for anything else, and really, do you think that anyone would take you? You've single-handedly destroyed this world. You and everyone else can pin this on me, but it was the Shinra family that made me."

"He's turned you into a hypocrite." The blond man said, slowly feeling a smirk come onto his face. "Here I have the great Silver General preaching about love and the world. What next? Peace and good health? About how the races need to accept one another? How we should all hold hands and sing about dreams?"

Sephiroth turned to him, glaring. "Watch what step you take, Rufus."

But the shorter man just chuckled. "Now that I think about it, Cloud was a looker. It must be the eyes. He's got the baby blues, right? I recall Reno mentioning that his eyes were bright even without mako."

No response. Rufus knew he was making a grave here but he was too sick and tired of the man to care. This pathetic place of a town was all he had now and it would be _years_ before anyone trusted them again.

Maybe he was hoping that Sephiroth would kill him. Not because he was suicidal or anything, it would just mean that the man hadn't changed. He was still a monster, just a very convincing one. He'd never change.

"I'll only say this once." Sephiroth said slowly, turning towards the Executive. "Cloud is special. And I'm going to kill Mother for him. If you ask for my help with that, then so be it. After all, we'll need vermin to rule over when the world's mine. Or I can just kill you afterwards. It's up to you. Either way, the only thing I've lost is a few moments of my life."

Rufus tried to think it over but just sat down in his chair, sighing. "Let me talk to the Turks."

Sephiroth didn't say anything else, just left the room. Rufus watched his back, remembering back when he had first met the experiment. His father had been so happy, and he remembered Hojo going crazy over him. But the man was only a manipulated monster that needed to be put down. And when Jenova was killed, and her hold on Cloud gone, that was exactly what he'd do.

~~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~

Vincent watched as Yuffie tried once again (and failed, again) at using one of the Curaga mako orbs, the black haired girl panting in exhaustion. He'd been training her lately since she wouldn't leave him alone. She wanted to get stronger to be a better leader, and he knew it was partially to rescue Cloud. Out of all of them, it seemed like Yuffie felt the guiltiest.

"Enough." He said softly, walking closer. "You've pushed enough. I'm surprised that you never learned cure material."

She grinned. "Never needed to. No one can keep up with me!"

He almost rolled his eyes. "We'll continue this tomorrow. For now, we need to meet with Tifa and Cid."

"Aww…" She muttered, pouting. "I don't want to. Tifa's a jerk since…well, since then." She couldn't find it in her to say 'since we left Cloud'. Though it had been their decision, she had never regretted anything more in her life. "And Cid is always coming up with these crappy ideas that would never work!"

"Yes, but at least he's thinking them up." Vincent countered lightly, having heard all this before…a lot. "It won't be long until we can go after Cloud."

Yuffie smiled, rubbing the back of her head. "I can't wait! I want to properly apologize without Cloud…you know, trying to kill us."

~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~

Sorry it's so short. But I wanted to get this up and give you all my response. :D Really, thank you all! –hugs-

MRIMO


	9. Break Away

I'm sorry it's been so long, guys! :3 But I finally got the darker version of White Sacrifice up and it inspired me to get this one finished. This isn't the last chapter, but I get the feeling it'll be rushed…I hope not, but let's see. Thank you all for being so patient with me.

~~~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Who are we waiting for?" Barret muttered as he sat at the bar, watching the rest of the group. "Fuckers are gettin' late, ain't got all day."

Vincent answered from where he was against the wall; the man didn't believe in chairs. "Rufus Shinra said that there's been a revelation. He's on his way here now."

"Great." Yuffie sniped, playing cards with Marlene. "Barret, your kid's a cheater."

"Marlene ain't no such thing!"

They all paused at the knock on the door, Tifa answering it. Rufus Shinra walked past her without so much as a sideway glance, Reno and Rude following after him. What surprised them, though, was the boy that came in as well.

"Who's the kid?" Cid asked, chewing on a toothpick since he was allowed to smoke around Marlene.

"This, is Denzel." Rufus said, looking only at Tifa. "Apparently, he ran into Cloud and was told to come here."

"What?" Tifa glanced down at the boy, covered in dirt and rags and bruises. "Cloud sent you?"

He nodded shyly. "Yeah…Seventh Heaven, right? Owned by Tifa?"

"But you guys…" Marlene frowned, leaving her game to come over to them. "You guys said that…Cloud died against Sephiroth. And so did Aeris."

Silence. Rufus rubbed the bridge of his nose; they hadn't told the girl? Were they just waiting for something like this to happen? Either not sensing the tenseness or ignoring it, Denzel just smiled at her.

"He's alive, he helped me! And he has got this giant white wing, he could fly through the air! It was awesome!"

She looked at him in awe. "Cloud's…an angel?"

"He must be, he saved me from Midgar."

"Marlene," Tifa cut in before the two could start forming some sort of cult around said blond. "Why don't you show Denzel around upstairs while we all talk?"

"Okay!"

They ran up, though Denzel hesitated about going into a place he'd never been to before. It killed each of them to see the boy…none of them more so than Reno, though he'd never say anything. He knew from talking to the kid he was from the plate…his parents had died when it fell.

"One crisis adverted." Rufus muttered, sighing. "Now, back to business. Sephiroth visited me at my office."

"He **what**?"

"Why?"

"What the fuck did he want?"

Rufus sighed again. "He has asked for my help in destroying Jenova."

It was Vincent that broke the silence. "He no longer has control over Cloud."

"It seems that Jenova is using Cloud in his stead." Rude said. "He shows all the signs."

"The problem being that Cloud was the only person strong enough to kill Sephiroth, not the other way around." Reno added, shrugging. "Doesn't look too good, does it?"

Tifa shook her head, frowning. "She hasn't gotten through to him, not completely. Remember what happened when we mentioned Aeris?"

"S'not gonna help us." Cid threw in, spitting out the toothpick. "We can't stand there yellin' her name at him."

"But it does help us." Vincent whispered. "What if we brought Cloud to Aeris's church?"

Tifa looked surprised. "That's an idea….we could try it, the only problem is getting him there."

"Surely Aeris could help him then!" Yuffie added. "She was a Cetra, right? Maybe there's a reason that the flowers are still there when she's…she's not around."

"I'm going to help Sephiroth kill Jenova." Rufus said, getting ready to leave. "You take care of Cloud." He paused, suddenly sneering. "Actually, maybe we should reverse that. Think AVALANCHE can handle that?"

Without waiting for a reply, he left them. Reno did his usual mock salute and Rude gave a nod of the head. Tifa and Barret fumed, mostly because it was _Rufus_ and partially because it was true.

"At least we have a plan." Yuffie murmured, glancing at Cid.

The blond pilot glared at her. "Nothin' wrong with my plans."

"Whatever, old man."

~~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mother?"

Cloud paused, seeing that he was inside his dream again and rolled his eyes. He was wondering if that weird girl would try to talk to him again. He hadn't seen her in a while, and he always had a nagging feeling about her in the back of his head.

"It's been a while, Spike."

His heart stopped.

Whirling around, Cloud stopped breathing when Zack smiled at him, his blue eyes shining brightly. He was wearing his uniform still, and he was still taller than Cloud, but he never expected to reach Zack's height. Some guys were just lucky.

"You've gotten taller…and I've seen how you use that sword. I knew you could be a SOLDIER, if you had been given the chance…"

"Zack…"

He couldn't get his throat working. So many things he wished he could say, or ask, or beg of him. Without noticing, his eyes watered. He gave a sob, and once he felt arms around him, couldn't stop.

"Shhhh, it's okay, Spike. I'm here."

"I missed you." He managed. "I'm sorry, I should've helped you. I know I could've, I could've made sure that none of this happened. I couldn't save you, and I couldn't save Aeris."

"That's not how Aeris told it." Zack whispered, gently pulling away. "Cloud, none of this is your fault. Really. I never thought about it that way, and I knew going in that that would be the end of the line for me. I didn't care though, Cloud, I dragged you into that mess so I was going to get you out."

Cloud frowned, wincing. Suddenly, his head hurt…he couldn't explain it, but he had trouble remembering what Zack had said to him when he…he was dying.

"It's Jenova." Zack said, face serious. "Your so-called Mother. She's warping your memories, Cloud, so that you can destroy the planet like she wanted. Sephiroth no longer wants that, but she does."

"NO!" Cloud yelled, pulling away from him. "You don't understand, you don't have her in your head! I need to do this to make her happy!"

"Then you die too!" Zack argued. "Dammit, Cloud, think! You need to live on this planet too, she doesn't care about you! She never even cared about Sephiroth. She's using you. She's no better than Shinra."

Cloud opened his mouth to argue again, but Zack put a hand up to stop him. "Think. Don't listen to her this once and think for yourself. Why are you so angry if she's brought up? Why do you defend her? Because she made you that way."

Cloud sighed, seeing a point to what he was saying. He vaguely remembered thinking the same thing when Sephiroth had gone crazy that night in Nibelheim. But hadn't Mother helped him? Hadn't she been there to stop the pain, to help him with the betrayal that his friends had put him through?

"What they did was horrible." Zack whispered, and it was one of the very few times that Cloud had seen him really angry. "I'm not saying that I understand them, or that it's okay, but there is good in the world, Cloud. That's what makes being a Hero worth it. To finally see that good, to see the hope in people's eyes when they realize that you haven't given up on them."

Cloud sighed. "How do I get her out of my head?"

"Aeris's church." Zack said. "It'll keep her from your head until Sephiroth kills her. With Jenova gone, you might be able to snap Sephiroth out of it too, but there's no promises on that."

"Help him?" Cloud snarled. "After all the things he's done?"

Zack grabbed his arm. "I forgave him, and I forgave you. If I can do that, then you can."

The blond scowled before he rolled his eyes. "How is it that you always make me feel better?"

Zack grinned, hugging him and ruffling his hair. "It'll be harder when you wake up. I can kinda block her here but you're on your own until you get to the church."

He nodded. "Alright, thanks."

Just before he was pulled awake, he hugged Zack tightly, hands trembling. "I miss you, Zack."

The dark haired man chuckled. "I miss you too, Spike. Don't worry, though. I'm keeping an eye on you."

He felt like he was falling asleep, but he knew he was being forced back to reality. He cringed, hearing Jenova's constant shriek in his head. He needed…needed to think, to remember. He wouldn't allow her to stop him from remembering Zack. He was too much a part of him.

He was going to beat her. And then, he would kill Sephiroth and his once companions for betraying him.

~~~~~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~~~~~

Finally, huh? :3 Sorry, it's short again but I'm wrapping it all up in the next chapter I believe. And, is it just me, or does Cloud seem really…off? Like, I made this whole thing about him but since chapter 3 on, he's a minor character. O.o Oops.

_**NOTE:**_ The new, darker version of this is up on my account! Go read and let me know what you think! :D

MRIMO


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